Seven lines of blanks, from 1999 to 2005. There will be no Tour de France winner in the record book for those years.

Once the toast of the Champs-Élysées, Lance Armstrong was formally stripped of his seven Tour titles Monday and banned for life for doping.

As far as the Tour is concerned, the Dallas native’s victories never happened. He was never on the top step of the podium. The winner’s yellow jersey was never on his back.

The decision by the International Cycling Union was a milestone in the saga that brought down the most decorated rider in Tour history and exposed widespread cheating in the sport.

‘To be forgotten’

“Lance Armstrong has no place in cycling, and he deserves to be forgotten in cycling,” said Pat McQuaid, president of the governing body. “Make no mistake, it’s a catastrophe for him, and he has to face up to that.”

Christian Prudhomme, race director of the Tour, has said the organization would not give the victories to the runners-up at the races Armstrong won because so many of those riders have been linked to doping as well. He said those Tours simply would have no official winner.

The World Anti-Doping Agency now has 21 days to decide whether it will appeal the ruling. If it does not, Armstrong’s hotly contested case is over.

Armstrong’s fiercely defended reputation as a clean athlete was shattered by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency two weeks ago, when it detailed evidence of drug use and trafficking by his Tour-winning teams. Eleven of Armstrong’s former teammates were among those who said there was widespread, team-organized doping on Armstrong’s U.S. Postal Service and Discovery Channel teams.

Neither Armstrong nor his representatives had any comment about Monday’s decision, but the rider was defiant in August when he chose not to fight USADA in one of the agency’s arbitration hearings. He argued that the process was rigged against him.

Deserted by his major corporate sponsors (including, as of Monday, Oakley sunglasses), Armstrong is vulnerable to a host of lawsuits seeking repayment of his career winnings. The French cycling federation tallied Armstrong’s winnings from his seven Tour victories at $3.85 million — money Prudhomme wants to recoup.

Armstrong, 41, could face perjury charges stemming from his testimony in a 2006 lawsuit in which he succeeded in collecting a $5 million bonus from a Dallas-based sports insurance company for having won without the assistance of performing-enhancing drugs.

The U.S. government could also get involved in a case brought by Floyd Landis, who was key to taking down his former teammate by turning whistle-blower in 2010.

Olympic medal at risk

In addition, McQuaid said, the cycling union’s board will meet Friday to discuss going after Armstrong’s 2000 Olympic bronze medal and setting up a “Truth and Reconciliation” commission to air the sport’s remaining secrets.

The cycling union’s decision Monday represented vindication for USADA and its CEO, Travis Tygart, who has long stood accused of pursuing a vendetta against Armstrong and over-reaching the agency’s authority in doing so.

In applauding the International Cycling Union’s actions, Tygart alluded to tension between his agency and the international body, which at times had backed Armstrong in trying to seize control of the doping investigation.

“Today, the UCI made the right decision in the Lance Armstrong case,” Tygart said. “Despite its prior opposition to USADA’s investigation into doping on the U.S. Postal Service cycling team and within the sport, USADA is glad that the UCI finally reversed course in this case.”

With Monday’s announcement, a Dallas-based sports insurance company is stepping up the pressure for Armstrong to repay a $5 million bonus the company was forced to pay after his 2004 Tour victory.

That company, SCA Promotions, is also seeking the return of an additional $2.5 million it agreed to pay in a 2006 settlement on behalf of Tailwind Sports, covering interest and Armstrong’s legal fees.

“If the money’s not returned, the company will pursue all legal avenues to get it repaid,” said attorney Jeffrey Tillotson, representing SCA.

SCA had balked at paying the bonus after a 2004 book detailed doping allegations against Armstrong.

“We had a contract that said so long as he was the official winner, we were required to pay him the bonus,” Tillotson said. “They have now judged he’s no longer the winner.”

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